News

A loon takes a break from nesting responsibilities to catch breakfast. Mitch Mode captured this perspective while kayaking. If you have spectacular Northwoods photos that the WXPR online audience would enjoy, please send them along to General Manager, Peg Arnold. And help create WXPR's online photo gallery depicting Northwoods Splendor.

Lynn Feldman has joined Extension after working as an advocate for Tri-County Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault based in Rhinelander. Feldman has been a teacher and worked for 14 years in the family owned grocery business in Three Lakes.

Among Feldman's duties will be Teen Court, Teens Active in Government, 4-H, and assessing the needs of Oneida county young people.

Invasive species have continued to be a problem here in the Northwoods. Nonnatives like the Eurasian water milfoil can threaten the ecology of lakes and disrupt summer recreation.

Next week the Minocqua Brewing Company will host a public discussion of aquatic invasives. It’s part of a monthly series at the brewpub called Science on Tap. We sat down with the two scientists, Ben Beardmore and Alex Latzka, who will be talking about their research next week.

Rhinelander school district officials have developed a web page so residents concerned about school funding can keep up to date. Rural school districts are feeling a financial squeeze as many districts have fewer students and are getting less financial aid, but still required to follow mandates.

The legislature's budget-writing group, the Joint Finance Committee, is looking at school funding at this time.

One of six young men arrested for a February, 2012 incident where a Wausau man was stabbed at a Mole Lake residence has been sentenced to prison.

21-year-old Trevor Lenz of Milwaukee accepted a plea bargain in Forest County court. Lenz had been charged with six counts, including party to the crime of attempted first-degree homicide. District Attorney Charles Siminio said Lenz was less involved in the incident than the other members of the Latin Kings gang.

Vilas Vision was born in 2003 to find and train new leaders. More than 100 people have gone through the program.The program is in cooperation with the Lac du Flambeau tribe.

UW-Extension Community Resource Development agent Chris Stark says the program is an investment in people to improve their leadership skills. He says business people and volunteers are two key groups who could be involved.

Another deadline is Friday for the state’s no-call list. Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection officials maintain a list of phone numbers that they distribute quarterly to registered telemarketing firms, so that marketers do not call you.

Jerad Albrecht is with DATCP. He says you need to re-register your phone number if you haven’t done so in a while.

"Numbers fall off the list every two years, so if it has been more than two years since you registered your number you're going to want to get it refreshed."

An Oneida county committee has approved a conditional use permit for Ministry Health Care to construct an enlarged helicopter pad at Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff. The vote was 4-0.

The application was for a 24-7 operation of a helicopter pad and hanger and 12 thousand gallon fuel tank. At a recent public hearing, neighbors complained of having several flights per day. Ministry officials said they wanted to centralize the emergency medical transportation from Rhinelander to Woodruff.

It's the golden anniversary year for School of the Arts at Rhinelander and special events are planned. The school runs this year from Saturday, July 20 through Wednesday, July 24 at James Williams Middle School in Rhinelander.

Director Lynn Tarnoff says the 50th anniversary has a number of events..

What a difference a year makes. Last year, Wisconsin River reservoirs were very low due to the effects of an extended drought in the Northwoods. This year, with one exception, all the reservoirs feeding the river are full.

That word from Peter Hansen...the operations manager for Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company in Wausau...given the responsiblity for maintaining water flow on the state's largest river.

Last year several Northwoods reservoirs were well below full. But this year...

State Representative Mandy Wright is questioning the tactics of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee as the committee proposes selling off state land and property.

The Wausau Democrat says she was left in the dark prior to last Tuesday's committee vote...

"....how come I as a legislator have heard little or nothing about it. Suddenly its passed through the budget and I haven't had any chance to talk to my consituents, get their feedback and have a vote in this decision..."